Martha Karua: Leaders used Raila’s death to push legislations
I know there is an agitated bunch of political party heroes turning in their beds all night waiting and hoping for a big ODM blowout as people there fight to grab ODM and become the new Raila in that party. That may not even happen because of the way Kenyans have responded to the passing away of one of their most successful political leaders in a generation, points to a very different direction as opposed to petty and useless fights that would only damage ODM and hinder national progress at many levels.
Kenyans from all walks of life regardless of their tribes and all those things that stubbornly divide Kenyans to be antagonistic to each other have responded to losing their leader as a message to get together and never lose the country. That urge for unity among Kenyans is going to be a whole groundbreaker for the next political formations in the country so those waiting for fist fights over ODM may have to sit down waiting for a very long time.
Strangely enough other politicians have found ways in which Raila’s death is being used to mess the country. Poor Raila Odinga, even in death he insists on causing problems to some politicians. For them the government is using the national grief over Raila’s death to pass bad laws. Mercifully they are not blaming the dead Raila Odinga for doing all the harm.
The People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader, Martha Karua, has criticised the government over what she described as a calculated move to exploit the nation’s grief following the death of Raila Odinga to pass controversial legislation.
In a strongly worded statement posted on her X account on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, Karua said the bills signed in the past few days represent a betrayal of the democratic values Kenyans have fought for over generations.
The controversial bills signed in haste under the cover of national grief represent the very opposite of the democracy and transparency generations of Kenyans fought for,” Karua said.
She warned that the laws were not only rushed but also designed to silence critical voices and weaken the role of citizens in holding leaders accountable. “These bills: silence dissent, weaken civic voice, disregard public welfare,” she added.
Karua noted that the timing of the bills’ passage, when the country was mourning the death of the opposition chief, exposed what she called the administration’s disregard for democratic principles.
“True democracy listens to the people, it doesn’t suppress them,” she stated, adding that the move was an insult to the sacrifices made by those who fought for Kenya’s freedoms and governance reforms.
Among the eight bills signed into law were:
- The National Land Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2023
- Land (Amendment) Bill, 2024
- Wildlife (Amendment) Bill, 2023
- Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes (Amendment) Bill, 2024
- National Police Service Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2024
- Air Passenger Service Charge (Amendment) Bill, 2025
- Virtual Asset Service Providers Bill, 2025
- Privatisation Bill, 2025
Luckily for politicians today there is something called the X Account and as soon as the big shots wake up their first job is to post something on their X account and it is headline news in the Kenyan media. There is no need for politicians to hold rallies and explain what they are talking about. They have their keyboard next to their beds, they wake up start addressing Kenyans from their keyboard while in bed. They have another keyboard in their washroom and toilets and do the same thing from there.
Karua urged Kenyans not to remain silent but to continue pushing back against attempts to erode freedoms that were hard-earned through years of struggle. “We cannot stand by as our hard-won freedoms are eroded,” she said.
Now just for a second Kenyans must think, if mourning Raila is causing so many problems, imagine what him being alive would be doing.
The one complicated level of political fights in Kenya is going to be when those who have nothing to do with Raila Odinga or ODM party will be fighting out there on how best to destroy Raila’s legacy and if that means destroying things important for the country that never bothers them at all.
Outrage after Governor Mutahi Kahiga’s viral video on Raila’s death
Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga has sparked national outrage after a video where he reportedly claimed that the death of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga will now “free” government resources for the Mt Kenya region went viral.
Speaking in vernacular at a funeral in Nyeri, Kahiga said the government had diverted attention and resources to Nyanza because of President William Ruto’s working relationship with Raila in the months leading up to his death.
“The plan that had been hatched if you look keenly, for you who do not travel because I was in that region, all goodies were being directed there because of tomorrow’s plans because it seemed like they did away with us but God came and brought this thing,” Kahiga said.
“So now people have been told to go back to the drawing board because the plan that was there was probably to throw us out. But who is God. Does he take ugali at somebody’s house or sleep in Kayole? He came through in his own way. He saw up there people in heaven are disagreeing a lot and came for Baba so that he can go and smoothen things up there.”
Trade Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui described the statement as “regrettable and most unfortunate,” saying it reflected “a narrow mindset that thrives on isolation as a survival strategy.”
“It neither captures the national mood nor adds value to a nation in mourning. At best, it is a cheap digression and a personal opinion. It serves as yet another reminder of how low leadership can sometimes sink. Baba’s dream for Kenya was never a secret. We salute him as a true Kenyan hero,” Kinyanjui said.
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party, in a statement, said it was praying for the Nyeri governor to seek forgiveness.
“In this period of mourning, following the loss of our Party Leader Raila Odinga, we wish to pray for the Governor of Nyeri Mutahi Kahiga that God forgives him for the utterances he made on the passing of our Leader,” the statement read.
Of course it is awful for someone like Governor Mutahi Kahiga to suggest that some Kenyans had to wait for Raila to be dead before they could become full citizens again. Every community in Kenya has been part of the country at all times and no community had to wait for some leader’s death.
“Better Dead Than Alive or Better Alive Than Dead” that is how some Kenyan politicians want to define Raila Odinga’s life for their own selfish interests. Those false hopes are of no interest to the country at the moment and most likely for a long time to come.
The nation moves forward and that is how all communities see the country going into the new year which could come be with a lot of political shifts and changes good for the country. That is next. Jamhuri is moving on as always.
